Two Southwestern students have received Gilman International Scholarships to study abroad during the spring 2012 semester.

Shannon Spears, a junior biology major, will use her scholarship to study at Chukyo University in Nagoya, Japan. She would like to become a Japanese-English/Spanish-English translator specializing in the natural sciences.

Kathleen Franklin, a political science major with a minor in history and environmental studies, will use her scholarship to study in Kigali, Rwanda, through the SIT/Hendrix College Rwanda Consortium program, which focuses on post-genocide reconstruction and reconciliation. Franklin is interested in international development with a focus on countries that have experienced human rights atrocities.

The Gilman International Scholarship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and is administered by the Institute of International Education. It is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world. Students are encouraged to choose non-traditional study abroad destinations, particularly areas outside of Western Europe and Australia.

Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of an application plus a proposal for a “follow on project” that will be completed after they return from study abroad. Spears plans to maintain a video blog that can be found at japanalicious.tumblr.com. Franklin also plans tp blog about her study abroad experience at http://8500milesaway.wordpress.com/